CI/CD
Continuous Integration / Continuous Deployment – automated processes to test and deliver software updates for faster releases with high quality.
CI/CD is at the heart of modern software development. Instead of risky monthly releases, it enables daily or hourly deployments – automated, tested and reliable. Companies like Netflix, Amazon and Spotify deploy thousands of times per day with mature CI/CD. For every development team, CI/CD is a must, not a nice-to-have.
What is CI/CD?
CI/CD covers three practices: Continuous Integration (CI) – developers integrate code into a shared repository multiple times per day, and automated tests run on every commit. Continuous Delivery (CD) – the code is always deployable; releases are prepared automatically but released manually. Continuous Deployment – every change that passes tests is deployed to production automatically. CI/CD pipelines orchestrate: build, lint, unit tests, integration tests, security scans, staging deployment and production deployment.
How does CI/CD work?
Typical pipeline: 1) Developer pushes to Git. 2) CI server (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins) is triggered. 3) Build: code is compiled/bundled. 4) Lint: code quality checks. 5) Unit tests. 6) Integration tests. 7) Security scan (e.g. dependencies). 8) Deploy to staging. 9) E2E tests on staging. 10) Deploy to production (automatic or manual approval).
Practical Examples
GitHub Actions: On every pull request, lint, tests and build run; merge only when all pass.
GitLab CI with Docker: Each branch gets a preview environment; stakeholders test before merge.
Canary deployment: New version goes to 5% of users first, then to 100% if metrics are good.
Monorepo CI: Pipeline detects which parts changed and only builds/tests those.
Typical Use Cases
Web development: Automated deployment of frontend (Vercel, Netlify) and backend (Docker, Kubernetes)
Mobile apps: Automated builds and distribution to TestFlight (iOS) and Google Play Beta (Android)
Microservices: Separate CI/CD per service for independent, fast releases
Infrastructure as Code: Terraform/CloudFormation changes validated and applied via CI/CD
Database migrations: Schema changes tested and run in the pipeline
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Faster releases: From long release cycles to daily or hourly deployments
- Early bug detection: Failures at commit time, not weeks later
- Consistency: Every deployment follows the same steps
- Developer productivity: No manual build and test chores
- Lower risk: Small, frequent changes are easier to debug
Disadvantages
- Upfront effort: Pipeline setup, test infrastructure and staging need investment
- Tests matter: CI/CD without good tests only ships bugs faster
- Complexity: Advanced pipelines (multi-stage, matrix, caching) can get complex
- Cost: Runners, staging and tools add ongoing cost
Frequently Asked Questions about CI/CD
What is the difference between Continuous Delivery and Continuous Deployment?
Which CI/CD tool is best?
How do I start with CI/CD?
Related Terms
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